Advice from Babe Ruth (video clip)

These "Minute with Maxwell" short leadership videos by John Maxwell are shared with folks in my office, as someone comes across some gems from the daily emails. 

This one is perfect for our pool game:

Reflections - Project Hunger Games

I wrote recently about expectations that Katniss had going into some matches of a recent tournament for her.  If you haven't read it yet, I'll wait here while you catch up.




You back?

Okay...

What I liked best about our discussion on this topic was I did not point out to Katniss that she might have lost those two matches due to her expectations. That's what she told me.

What I love about this is she is self reflecting after her matches.

This actually brings up a really good point that I don't know if I've reiterated enough yet (lol), but if you reflect after every single match why you won or lost (heck, maybe even write down why - I know blasphemy!) it will take you to the next level so much faster than if you never evaluate yourself.

Some people just go to a tournament, wish they would have won a match or two, or maybe lost and just don't even think about it again.

But I promise you if you do some self reflection after every match and you seriously be honest with yourself why you lost or won, that right there is a huge learning experience that you will put inside your toolbox that will help you and your future matches.

I PROMISE.

Let's compare it to something fun.

It's football season so let's compare it to that.

Last weekend the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Detroit Lions.  If you didn't see the game, then you didn't see one of the Defensive coach's pissed and throwing his arms in the air mad at his guys because they missed a block and gave up a touch down for the Lions.

But was also shown was he had his clipboard and tablet and he was showing them missed plays, plays they could do when they go back in, and positions on the field that would work better for them to succeed.

There is actually A LOT of times the coaches go over plays and instructions with the players during the game.  See this video clip and check out at times 1:20, 1:40, 2:30 and 2:50:




Further, we all can picture the entire team in the locker room days after the game going over scenarios from last weeks' game, and also the upcoming game.  They do this for EVERY SINGLE game.

This is a great example of why it's important for us little ole pool players to act like a professional football player - learning from every match we play!

Why did we win?  Why did we lose?  Why did my opponent end up coming back on me and I lost the lead and the match?  How did I overcome being down 0-5 and won 7-5?  Why did I get distracted?  What could I have done different?  How did I make that tough shot under pressure?

I could list 1,000 more questions for you, but I'll stop there :)

The point is, how do we ever learn and improve if we don't self reflect?

Ironically, I wrote a blog post about reflecting for the "Danielson Series," too.

Peeps - one of the best teachers is the experience - but not if we don't think about the whys of the wins and losses!

Let me state again that we all know we learn the MOST from our losses.  However, don't forget your wins!  Those are learning lessons as well.  And each lesson we put in our toolbox for the next tournament.

I eluded to writing them down and I'm not joking.  My paper notes transitioned to paper diary to this blog because I wanted to capture what happened.  What I didn't know was, I my learning was entrenched more because I wrote down what happened in all my matches.  Reflecting turned out to be an amazing part of my learning process, but writing them down propelled the learning process.

REFLECT!

Betting on a Roomba

A lot of pool players are your typical gamblers, and as such they will find anything to bet on.

During tournaments, many players will match up and gamble on the open 9-foot tables or bar tables either in ring games or one-on-one matches.  For those pool rooms who don't have open tables, players will match up and bet on darts, shuffleboard or foosball if they have those.

Players will also side bet on matches or bet on a football game on tv.  You know, anything for a sweat bet.

Other times players will flip a coin for $100.  Or see who can make (or can't make) a certain tough shot rail to rail.  Players gather around, wads of bills in their fists, ready to bet.

It's kinda of unheard of for no bets to be taking place during tournaments.  There's always some type of action/betting going on.

So, this should not have surprised me at all when Heather Bryant posted a video of people betting on a Roomba!!  

Talk about being creative, lol!

Her and Charlie "Hillbilly" Bryant were at the Rocket City Open in Huntsville, Alabama at Good Timez Billiards over the weekend. 

She posted a video of what was being bet on, and it was shared over 1,250 times!  

Whatever ball the Roomba makes, the person who bought that ball wins the money.  Check out the video for yourself:  Like I said, gamblers will bet on anything!

Sparring on Video

My friend Tina and I had a sparring session yesterday.  I really love our time together - it's nice to get to know her better every time we play.  She has a great heart and soul, and I love learning from her about life-things.

Then it's time to hit the table and get good practice in!

When we spar, I talk about shot selection - reasons why to go for outs or why not, lol.  We talk about runs, break outs, safeties, etc.

We mentioned in passing a few times in the last year about video taping our sessions.  So, I finally came through with our idea, lol.  I brought my camera tripod that my friend Janet gave me last year as a Christmas present, and I captured 10 games on video this day.  But, am only showing one right now.  Main reason is I miss in most of the other games lmao!  And the other reason for not showing more right now is Tina hasn't even seen them yet.  So, need her permission first.  Gots to be proper, ya know.  So, since this one mostly shows me, I figured I was safe.

On the video, you can hear me (hopefully) talking about why I chose stripes and some of the difficulties that were on the table.  I happened to somehow run out this game; not sure how - especially considering I made it tough on myself lol.

One more thing - this is a great example of why I like to practice in the pool room.  Normal distractions all around us, like in a real tournament.  You can hear people around us and even see someone talk to me during the run.  I love it!

Secret to Victory - Video Clip of Commercial

No words needed - short commercial speaks for itself.  This is so spot on, and I love that it's coming from sports super stars!

Chris Melling 8-Ball Run - WOW

Everyone is talking about this run from Chris Melling last week during the World Pool Series.

You will also be talking about it... check it out for yourself!

Emily and Harry (video clip)

Pretty dang cool when pool makes mainstream, right?

My friend and professional pool player, Emily Duddy, was on the show "Harry," which is a daytime talk show hosting by the hot singer/actor himself, Harry Connick Jr.

Here are two clips from the show of the episode she was on just this week:



and:



I unfortunately first met Emily in a match at BCAPL Nationals in Vegas, lol.  I thought I would get to shoot more, as every time a tough shot was in front of her, I knew I'd get another chance at the table. Well, I was WRONG. She made tough shots and had great outs.

But I enjoyed meeting her and it has been so cool our paths have crossed throughout the last 8 years, where we get the usual selfies and hugs.

It's also been cool as fellow female player to see her rise to stardom.  I am so proud of her accomplishments on the table and in the media (she has been on other tv shows as well and in print magazines a lot).

Show her some love over at https://www.facebook.com/BilliardBombshell

Or, follow her and other pros at the WPBA US Open THIS weekend!  All six tables are being streamed live.  Check it out.

Congrat's, Emily, on being on the show!

4-Ball Run Video Review (Amos Bush)

4-ball run?  What's the big deal?  Ahh.... but so much to see in just running these 4 balls.

Hopefully this helps even one person see maybe some things we hadn't considered before:

Video Review of a 9-ball Run by Paul Guernsey

My first-ever video review!

I thought this was a great run to discuss because it has so many great elements to a 9-ball run.

Enjoy.

I am hopeful that some players may see some things in this run to learn from (I know I did):

Sly Video Capturing of Good Player

One thing I'm trying to do on the Omega Tour is to do a video compilation of matches/shots during a tour stop and then putting it all together into one little youtube video.  Here's an example video compilation from the Omega stop in September.

Obviously, I have to be careful when I'm taking video.  I stand there and I hold up my phone and I'm trying to ensure that the players don't see me, but sometimes they do.  I sometimes feel like I affect their play so I've been trying to videotape people in such a way that hopefully they don't see me or maybe they think I'm just taking a picture with my phone (which is less distracting than realizing you might be video-taped).

During the October stop I was videotaping a good player and he was on the ball before the 9 ball.  I am trying to take the video and a couple people next to me make remarks that I am sharking him.  The guy next to me joked, "I can't believe you're doing that while he's shooting - it's a pretty tough shot."  And I replied softly, "well I know this player really well and he's not gonna let anything bother him if he's distracted.  He will back off of the shot and prepare his pre-shot routine before getting back down on the shot.  He only shoots when he's 100% dedicated and prepared."

The shot was a very sweet shot actually and glad I captured it on video.  Then I found out he was on the hill and that's scary I could have distracted that key moment!  Yikes.

I asked the player afterwards if he saw me.  He replied, "yes, I noticed you standing there with your phone, but because you were not moving around, it didn't distract me and that allowed me to just focus on the shot."

Here is the video I captured of him (Mike Voelkering):

You can see he did indeed get back up before he felt comfortable about the shot.  He's a very disciplined player (we can all learn from this! - get back up off the shot if you don't feel prepared or 100% committed):

Shooting Pool Literally, (Video Clip)

Have you ever wondered about shooting pool, literally, with a gun?

Well, the folks at Demolition Ranch shot pool balls, literally with bullets, on a pool table!  Nice friendly game, tho, so no worries, lol.

They nicknamed this "bulliards."  :) 

Here is the videotaped grudge match for us to witness:

Delays the Pain (video clip)

While watching a match during the Omega Tour stop last month on Sunday, CJ Wiley was playing Carl Bodeker.

It was a great match that went hill-hill!  The winner would move on in the event, while the player who lost would place 9th out of 81 players.  It was a big match, obviously.

At hill-hill, Carl is running out and this happens:



As I'm standing there, I say under my breath to a few people in the crowd, "well, at least he didn't scratch."  Trying to take away the sting for Carl from across the room.

One of the guys near me who is also watching quips, "yea, but now it's just delaying the pain!"

Many of us laughed at his comment, because it was so true!  He added, "at least if it scratched the pain would have already occurred and been over with, now the pain is being dragged on and delayed."  More laughter.

Pretty funny, actually - never thought of it that way.

Here is the end result, btw:

Pool Passion - Hair Video Clip

8 ball and 9 ball shaved! Omega Billiards Tour Player, Alberto Nieto, shaves his head for the love of the game:

Proof of Focusing (video clip)

I've been wanting to write about this for a while but needed some dedicated time to write this one up.

Before I go into the details of focusing, I'd like you to review this video below.  See if you can beat my score!  You need to watch closely to see if you can count the correct number of times the ball is passed from the girls only in the white shirts.

If you can't view this video now, go ahead and come back later - it's the whole premise of the topic.

Ready to beat my score??





So, if this was your first time viewing this video clip, then you are JUST as shocked and surprised as I was.

Even weeks later after seeing it, I will walk down the hall and see the coworker who shared this with me and still say something to him because I simply can't believe it.  And of course, as soon as he showed me, I just /knew/ it would be a blog topic!

Basically, the video is proof how well we can focus on pool, and be in the zone.  It also proves that we can indeed focus on things and miss other things.

I could write prolly 10 topics just related to this video and focusing in matches, but let's only touch on a few:

1.  Team Captain:  This video shows why a team captain is important.  Some players need to focus on their game and wont be cognizant of the dynamics of what is going on around them.  And that's good!  We want their best game.  And so the Captain can be the person who sees the entire picture.  As captain, it's their role to see who is playing well, how to change up the line-up, or maybe help someone who is dealing with high emotions (as an example).  Letting the players focus on pool, allows the Captain to focus on the players.

2.  Focus on the Table:  This video kinda encapsulates why you can be in the zone and not notice anything else around you.  It also PROVES that you can be THAT focused on one thing.  And for us, that is the game at hand.  If you are focusing solely on 3-balls-ahead-shape, I guarantee you nothing else will enter your mind.  That's the type of focus you want.  If you are struggling with focusing or you think you can't focus lately for some reason, think about how well you watched the balls from the girls in the white shirt and what you missed.   Yep!   See?

3.  Multi-Tasking:  What the video doesn't show but it attests to in documentation, is that if you were to see all three changes (curtain, the walk-on, and someone leaving), then you may not have counted the correct number of passes.  The neurology of our brain to do calculations is resource intensive, so if we are doing too much, other things may slack off.  That's why it's crucial to try and focus only on the game at hand when we are playing pool.  That's why when we get distracted by something external, we don't play as well.

4.  Practice versus Tourney Play:  This video also explains why during practice we play so much better sometimes than in competition.  In practice, we are not distracted, having fun, making all our shots.  Here comes competition and we are worrying about our "status" in the event, who our opponent is, who is watching, why someone just said something crappy to us, etc.  How can we possibly play our best being distracted?  That's why it's important to let things go, focus on the table, and regroup quickly when something distracts you or throws you off.

Hope this helps prove you CAN focus well, and how important it is.  :)

Inside a Coin Pool Table (video)

Pretty cool!

Cool Pool Table with Glass Edges, Yet...

I received an email from Ralph Lauren about this cool table:

I thought this was pretty cool and unique for sure!  Calma and Gesso put a lot of thought into this table.  You can read the specs and such HERE.

Then I admit, I got disappointed.  While looking through the cool website about the table, I found this disturbing promo video:





Yep - you saw correctly.  Rack is not tight (that's a sin in pool!), their bridge hands are not stable (esp the female), and it's just an overall bad video for the serious pool players. 

If the tables are expensive, then the promo video exudes priceyness and who cares how the actors play pool, right?  I do agree the chick stays down on her shots, but that has to be so they could capture the moment on camera, not because she is aware she needs to have good fundamentals to play good pool, even on this table.

Looking through the website more, I see they did have a "mentor" on hand to show the actors how to shoot.  But, still didn't come through.

I don't mean to bash the video - as it does capture the beauty and splendor of the unique table!  Cool-ass table none-the-less.

What I See in this Video (Drill by Daren Appleton)

I saw this video the other day from Darren Appleton:

1-15 rotation one pocket drill brutal.. Completed it 4 times but 3 of them wasn't clean slightly nudged a ball so I kept going till I did it without contacting a ball... Great drill one of the toughest I've ever done .
Posted by Darren "Dynamite" Appleton on Wednesday, February 17, 2016

I am not sure what others see in this video, but what I see is GREAT fundamentals!  I realize the drill is a good drill and tough, don't get me wrong, but what I what really stuck out for me was these two KEY very important points:

1. Darren stays down and follows through on every single shot.
2. He chalks his cue every single time.

What does this mean?  It means he treats every shot the same and has fabulous fundamentals.

What people don't understand is it's very easy to get lazy on drills.  And also because there is no pressure practicing by ourselves, we rush our shots.  So, it's refreshing (and this is why he's a Champion) to see Darren taking his time on each and every shot.  He also has the slight pause each time, staying down REALLY well on each shot, following through beautifully, and doing his pre-shot routine on every shot (looking at the shot as he chalks his cue and steps INTO the line of the shot).

I mean, seriously, how many times have you practiced by yourself and not chalked your cue because you were just "hitting" balls around?  Treat every shot even in practice with the same due-diligence as if you were competing. 

The reason this particular video is also good to show how important fundamentals are, is you can see how long his cue stays still after he shoots each shot (that great follow through).  From the angle of the video, it looks as tho he is laying his cue on the table after each shot - that's how well he stays down and follows through - the keys to great pool.  :)

Enjoy!

Learn from Dennis Orcollo vs Corey Deuel 10-Ball Match (video clip)

Here is a great match to self train with!

Dennis Orcollo and Corey Deuel, 2013 10-ball finals, U.S. Bar Table event Reno.

Camera man is very close to the players and table on all the shots throughout the match.

You can really study front hand “bridge hand” back hand “stroke hand and  grip”  many times.

Also, eye pattern with shooting and overall playing the runouts and game.

Also, stance and strategy is all very clear, as well as observing “bear down“ that happens a lot.

See how many times the player will not rush and at times will get up off the shot until he is sure of what and how he wants to execute.

These champions are really determined and their determination is shown (you'll see it).

High School Billiards Program (video clip)

Check out one of the Omega Tour Players made the news!  William Howard, back when he was in high school.  I wrote about his awesome parents in a previous blog about a year ago.

Foul Language Alert, but Clean Hit (video)

From my Tuesday league a couple of months ago - one of the best jumpers I've ever met, my teammate Mike Stankiewicz